Parents withdraw legal action over their sick baby, Charlie Gard

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An American father, Arthur Estopinan, spoke about his son's experimental treatment. Arturo has a form of the rare mitochondrial condition that British baby Charlie Gard has.

Parents withdraw legal action over their sick baby, Charlie Gard

An American father, Arthur Estopinan, spoke about his son's experimental treatment. Arturo has a form of the rare mitochondrial condition that British baby Charlie Gard has.

LONDON — The parents of critically ill baby Charlie Gard dropped their legal bid Monday to send him to the United States for experimental treatment after new medical tests showed it could no longer help.

Lawyer Grant Armstrong said Chris Gard and Connie Yates were withdrawing their appeal at a London High Court hearing. As the couple wept, Armstrong said recent medical tests on Charlie showed the baby has irreversible muscular damage.

“It’s too late for Charlie,” Armstrong said. “The damage has been done”

Armstrong said the news had left Charlie’s parents extremely distressed and they now “wish to spend the maximum amount of time they have left with Charlie.”

The fate of Charlie Gard, a terminally ill infant, has come to the attention of two of the most powerful people on the planet: Pope Francis and US President Donald Trump.

The 11-month-old has a rare genetic condition, and his parents wanted him to receive an experimental treatment. Doctors at Great Ormond Street Hospital had argued that the treatment wouldn’t help and could cause the child pain. They wanted to switch off his life support and allow him to die peacefully.

The fate of Charlie Gard, a terminally ill infant, has come to the attention of two of the most powerful people on the planet: Pope Francis and US President Donald Trump.

The case won international attention after Charlie’s parents received support from Pope Francis, U.S. President Donald Trump and some members of the U.S. Congress.

Judge Nicholas Francis had scheduled a two-day hearing to consider fresh evidence after Dr. Michio Hirano, an American neurology expert from Columbia Medical Center in New York, came to London to examine the child. But Armstrong said nothing further could be done.

“Due to the delay in treatment that window of opportunity has been lost ” Armstrong said.